Jimmy's Garden Party

After Fionnuala & Donncha's wedding in Marlfield House, we popped down the road to Ferrycarrig where it was my Uncle Jimmy's 60th birthday. My last visit was in 1976so things had changed quite a bit since then. Jimmy is a fine horticulturalist, so between the showers on Saturday evening I had a little stroll around his beautiful garden, before quietly celebrating the big birthday.

In gardens, I like to handhold the camera, get in close, and focus on details with a shallow depth of field - all things the textbooks on plant/macro photography tell you not to do.

Fionnuala & Donncha

With communions,confirmations and the start of wedding season, it's been a busy few weeks. After two IWP weddings in the Slieve Russell and the Bush Hotel, I headed to Wexford and the beautiful Marlfield House for Fionnuala & Donncha's wedding. I hadn't met them since ringing in the New Year 2008 in Abbeyglen Castle, so had been looking forward to this one. The rain almost held off, and though we didn't make the beach, it was a great day.

For anyone wondering about the hurlers, Donncha won a senior All-Ireland medal with Tipperary in 2001. He had another big win last Friday.

Hastings

Hastings is an interesting place, with a long history - as well as the famous battle of 1066 it has been a thriving naval and smuggling stronghold for centuries. It is still an important fishing port, despite not having a harbour. The fleet is beach-based, with the boats being physically pushed out to sea and then winched back up the beach on their return. Hastings is an interesting mix of waterfront, picturesque medieval old town, brutalist 60's & 70's architecture in the new town and some fairly gritty outskirts, where the human and pit bull populations seem to be about 1:1. The latest adventurer to arrive is one Mr Peter Loye, which is how I found myself there for a quick visit recently.

Margaret & Vinny

I was in Mayo last week for my biggest wedding yet - 420 guests in the Broadhaven Bay hotel after the ceremony in Binghamstown. Mags & Vinny took everything in their stride and Vinny came up with the best speech I've heard in a long time, without a single note or prompt.